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Tuesday, 20 February 2007

The buddy system

Before we embarked on this year-long adventure, well-meaning parents asked me dozens of times how our kids would cope so far away from their friends and extended family. As Oprah would say, "what I know for sure" now is that being the new kid on the block doesn't necessarily have to be the terrible social burden it’s cracked up to be. And who knew it could be so easy?

Maybe it’s just luck or resilience or the magical clicking of personalities, or maybe where the new kid comes from is all that matters to those who’ve already staked their territory. Either way, we are very lucky indeed because Canada, it seems, is the coolest place on earth to the kids at Mornington Primary School and they’ve embraced Molly and Annie with great gusto. Joining Annie and Molly (centre and top) are (from left) Shania, Miia, Lauren and Melitta.

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

It's not all the "Canada "thing, Nancy. You and Doog are the parents of two of the most delightful, lovely girls ever and the cream always ends up on top. Those Australian little girls simply know great people when they meet them. So there!AJ

About the book

For every North American mom who dares forge her own way - when all around are the suburban ideals of keeping up and conforming - there are a zillion others who will consistently say, “I’d love to do this or that but I can’t because of the kids.”

At its heart, this book is about showing parents, particularly those who yearn to travel, that it’s possible to have their cake and eat it too. Because all evidence to the contrary, combining one’s passion for seeing the world with the passion one has for one’s own kids can actually be done. (And it sure beats living with the regret and resentment of having put off one’s own dreams to faithfully toe the modern parent’s sacrificial line.)

About Me

Married to a wild New Zealander and the mother of two divine girls, I am an Elora, Ontario-based travel junkie who unfortunately needs to get a real job from time to time - generally as an editor, columnist and freelance travel writer. Born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario, I got my B.A. from the University of Western Ontario in 1987 and have worked ever since to keep feeding my travel bug. It’s taken me to India and Nepal, Southeast Asia, Egypt and Israel, Europe and the UK, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, and South Africa and Lesotho. Next stop Central America: two months of backpacking heaven in Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua with the hubby and kids. Bring it on!